By Bethany Barrett

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The Importance of an Ironing Board

So sewing hasn’t really been happening for a few reasons. One: school. I had finals and they were a process. Two: work. I had a lot of it and still needed to sleep, eat, and take care of my pets. Three: I had no ironing board. I need to add interfacing to my dress before I can finish it and I haven’t been able to get it on without an ironing board.

If you’ve been to my blog before, you know I have a board. My lovely man got me one as a gift last year and it has served me oh so very well. However, it was humongous so I left it in AZ because it didn’t fit in the car. I have not had an ironing board for TWO WHOLE MONTHS. I’m sure you all can understand my predicament. I wouldn’t mind ironing on the carpet except you need a lot of heat and steam for fusible interfacing which leads to melted carpet. It’s a mess, honestly.

So I finally have time to sew and I can’t…or at least I couldn’t! I now am the owner of a shiny and new ironing board. I miss my old one for sentimental reasons, but my mom really did well in getting me a great replacement. It’s even got a sleeve board! Really, this thing is pretty awesome.

Take a look:

Isn’t that thing so sweet? I really love it and it’s so useful. But hey, what’s that thing in the corner of that last picture? Why, it’s my NEW SEWING DESK!!!!!!!

My wonderful mom and Joey gave us a huge Amazon gift card so I finally have a desk again. Mackey is going to get himself a new desk as well, though he might get his from craigslist since he only needs a small computer desk and nothing fancy like me. So basically, I owe my entire new sewing area to my mom. I am so incredibly grateful for how much she supports me and my hobbies, as well as life choice in general. We wouldn’t have been able to move to WA either without her and Joey. Joey has been just as amazing and has helped me gain new skills as far as work goes. I am so happy to have them in my life and I’m so incredibly thankful and happy to know them both. I’m pretty sure they even look at my blog every now and again, though there shouldn’t be anything new on here that I don’t tell them except for sewing details that they probably aren’t too keen on anyway. ;D

Now that I’ve gotten all sentimental, let’s check this desk out!

New corner! I’ve basically taken up the entire living room. Mackey thankfully doesn’t seem to mind. He gets the other side though so I guess it’s even. 😀

So much room That chair is comfy too, and moves up and down. Much comfier, and it’s the perfect height! Hopefully it cuts down on back issues.

I’m sew organized! I’ll never not love that pun.

There’s even a space for my scrap bag.

The plastic cover sits neatly on the lower shelf, or I can put it elsewhere and use it as a footrest.

More space! More organizing!

Patterns up top, fabric in the middle, and my sewing box with costume patterns and WIPs on the bottom.

It even folds down on the left! I’ll keep it up because space but it helps if I need that extra room.

Different lighting, that lamp is intense but that’s a good thing.

I’m in love!

So now that I have my space up and ready I’ll be able to tackle just about anything now I hope. Not pictured are some other tools I just bought that I think will help: more pins, a 24″ by 36″ cutting mat (finally!) and some Swedish sewing paper. Turns out the sewing paper is just like the Pellon stuff I was using before. It has the same feel, same weight, same everything. So that’s a nice surprise and I’m excited to get to work with it and get new patterns traced.

Some technical specs for those of you interested in the desk:

I bought it off Amazon, it’s made by Sauder. It’s $130.00 right now though some reviews seemed to say it was cheaper at some point. People also complained about the color description but the pictures look exactly like what I got so if the name says cinnamon but you see a more ‘chocolate’ color in the pictures…I’m not sure what you expected and I’m sorry to say I judge you just a little for your lack of common sense.

Why I picked this table:

I looked at a TON of tables/desks to see what I might want. I chose this one because it was mentioned by a few reviews that it seemed more solid than other particle board tables and after receiving it I agree. It’s quite the solid table and while the weight limit is like 40 pounds, that’s really quite perfect. I do also like the storage components, the shelves can be moved to accommodate different sized things and the little organizers on the left side also have panels that can be moved around to change the size of each section. This one also folds down to fit a smaller space and in case you didn’t see it in the pictures, there are rolling feet on it. They work quite well so far but of course I’ve only had it for just the day. I’ll post an update in a few months to give you an idea of how I like sewing with it and any downsides it may have.

Overall, I like the size, storage, and price. It’s a really good deal for people on a budget and I feel is a good fit for my apartment as far as space is concerned. It was also really easy to put together. I did it by myself and took my time which meant about 2 hours? If I was going faster then it would’ve been much quicker but I wasn’t in a rush.

The chair was $50, also on Amazon. I picked this one because it moves up and down, is simple, and is a stool with minimal back rest. I was going to get the Ikea stool, which is the same price, but I had the gift card so…no-brainer there. What I also realized I may not like about the Ikea stool is that it doesn’t just swivel around, it actually leans in any direction. Which may not be that great at times. So I’m glad I have a swivel-but-not-lean stool.

Now that my station is all set I have to say I am about a million times more inspired to sew. It’s amazing the difference is just knowing I have a dedicated space and the ability to sew comfortably. I’m also taking a semester off of school so I’ll have more time as well. Next week I’ll have my dress finished I hope so I’ll do an update with sewing then. 🙂

So what does your space look like? Let me know, and share links to your own blogs/Instagram/whatever you have.

I thought I commented, but it disappeared! I love your sewing area, so jealous! I have a folding sewing table I have to unpack and unfold every day but it is in the TV room so it is where all the action is!

You did comment! I have to approve them though, it should have told you that. It is nice to have your table where things are happening unless you like to be disconnected in that sense. I’m glad you have a table though, maybe one day you can upgrade the living room. 😉